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Proposed Shelburne Barrens Nature Reserve

Size & Location

The 5,540 hectare Shelburne Barrens straddles the Yarmouth/Shelburne County line in the interior of southwestern Nova Scotia. The site lies at the edge of the Tobeatic Wilderness Area, approximately 35km north of Shelburne.

Natural Description

When the glaciers receded from southwestern Nova Scotia they left behind eskers and glacial outwash plains. These features, combined with later disturbances, shaped the Shelburne Barrens into a diverse mosaic of landscapes. Underlain by hard granite, the northern section of the Shelburne Barrens is highly exposed. The vegetation is characteristic of a fire barren, dominated by low heath shrubs and lichen interspersed with patches of mixed woods.

A number of south- flowing brooks, including the headwaters of the Clyde River watershed cut through the barrens. Following the flow of these streams onto a softer sedimentary base, the tree cover becomes thicker, with long ribbons of red maple growing along the waterways and between the ridges.

The southern portion of the Shelburne Barrens is wrapped along a chain of eight shallow, acidic lakes. The lakes lie between rolling hills of conifers and hardwoods, including climax species of sugar maple, yellow birch and beech, as well as stands of white pine and old growth hemlock.

Outstanding Natural Features

Diverse array of ecosystems, including multiple barren types, forested regions, and freshwater habitats
Added protection for the Tobeatic Wilderness Area, which borders the Shelburne Barrens to the north
Habitat for black bear and Nova Scotia's small native moose population; moose migration corridor between the Tobeatic Wilderness Area and public lands to the southwest.
Headwaters of the Clyde River
Chain of eight undeveloped shallow lakes, one of which is spring fed
Many uncommon landscape features including a glacial outwash plain, natural sand beaches, forested floodplains; Several stands of mature and old growth confers (white pine and hemlock) and hardwoods (yellow birch, beech, and sugar maple)
Shoreline and wetland habitat for rare and sensitive coastal plain flora, including a goldenrod that is endemic to the province
One of the most extensive intact paleo-fire barrens in Nova Scotia

Excellent ecological research site for studying succession of an area regenerating from severe natural and anthropogenic disturbance

Recreational Opportunities

The Proposed Shelburne Barrens Wilderness Area has long been a popular destination for outdoor recreation, including fishing, boating, and camping, providing access to Roseway and Clyde River backcountry canoe routes

Threats

In 1974 a team of scientists representing the International Biological Programme first recommended legal protection for the Shelburne Barrens. It has been a candidate ecological reserve ever since.

Despite "administrative" protection from the Department of Lands & Forests (now Natural Resources) the provincial government bulldozed a highway through the heart of the Shelburne Barrens in the mid 1980s. The road, built to access the East Kemptville tin mine, cost Nova Scotia taxpayers $8.6 million to build. A few years later the mine went under, but the road remains. More recently the Province changed the borders of the candidate ecological site to accommodate exploration for kaolin and quartz. By the fall of 2002, Black Bull Resources, a junior mining company based in Vancouver, was close to beginning quartz mining on the site. In 2004 approval was given by the Department of Environment. Site work has begun and the mine will be operational by 2005.

While the northern portion of the Shelburne Barrens falls within the Tobeatic Wilderness Area, much of the site remains unprotected. The very southern portion of the Shelburne Barrens is part of the Indian Fields Provincial Park reserve, but the park property has no legal status. The section where mining is poised to begin is in between the two protected portions.

Too often wilderness sites are quietly lost before we come to fully value their importance. Over twenty-five years have passed since scientists first documented the significance of the Shelburne Barrens, yet today most of it remains unprotected.

Associated Member Groups

See the Tobeatic Wilderness Committee's website for more on mineral exploration in the Shelburne Barrens, including new photos, and Leah Hagreen's study into the environmental impacts of mining the barrens. Keep up to date on developments regarding the mine by visiting Black Bull Resources.

Take action to help save this important wilderness area!